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The plight of SACD....

Venturing into a local Audio Supermarket chain the other day...I found the latest advancement in digital audio relegated to a cheesy Kiosk in the very back of the store...complete with a Bose cube set-up...and the new Stones hybrid of "Got Live If you want it" (a dismal live recording regardless of format) blaring to a very disinterested public...no wonder average Joe aint buyin'...

Even with Sony "dumbing down" SACD/dvd players to the sub $500 level...without the software catalog to support it...and with the majority of the public A)satisfied with current redbook sound and B)not possessing even moderate midfi audio sytems to hear the sonic benefits...it appears SACD is going to be the next DAT commerical failure...ditto for DVD-Audio...these new products are not "market driven"...they are being forced on consumers...

The majority are not audiophiles let alone audio enthusiasts...accurate or improved sonics do not play an important role in their lives...redbook became dominant because its main competitor at the time was not the LP but the pre-recorded cassette...a dreadful format made worse by Dolby B...the Compact Disc won out but any digital format at the time would have...it offered convenience,portability,and eventually...compatability...

As someone who has invested a small amount in a SACD player and software...and was one of the first on my block to have a CD player...I have waited almost 20yrs for a digital
format that gives a hi-end analog system a run for its money...that day is both here and gone...I predict that SACD will remain a fringe format...similiar to DAT...in that
it will live on in professional applications...and have a small loyal following that truly appreciates its greatness...heres to hoping Im wrong...
128x128phasecorrect
brianmgrarcom
1,317 posts
 
Treyhoss, your findings may be accurate or you may be just finding out that your player plays SACD's better than CD's.
treyhoss
287 posts
 
Brian, The comparison I did was between the SACD played on the new Sony vs. the CD played on my existing digital front end (w/ the AA and the DAC). The CD played on the Sony was nowhere near the quality of my other digital components. That said, I am keeping an open mind until I get about 400 hours, on the CD side, played on the Sony. That will be a more fair comparison. I'm not expecting the moon here and really got the Sony for it's picture quality, which is EXCELLENT! In some ways it is satisfying to see how well my existing digital technology, which is about 6-7 years old, holds up against the new unit. The DAC for CD in the Sony is 96/192kHz too! Time will tell...
jadem6's avatar
jadem6
1,074 posts
 
I'm sorry Kana, but I must correct you. TAS has recommended nine SACD's to date. I think you saw the DVD-A listing under a DVD-A ad or something. As far as Chesky lowering the prices, isn't that what we have asked for? Lower prices and larger selection? Now that it's happening you cry the sky is falling.
I had a another thought that a few very old ‘philes may shed some light on. When 33 1/3 rpm came along to replace the 78 rpm was there a call for the heads of the then four or five labels? If we all sat with our heads in the sand I think we would still have shellac and a needle on a horn. PLEASE! Progress will happen. Vinyl is great for the 0.001% who choose to fight that battle. The rest will have to stick with the "drawbacks" of digital, thankfully it's better than it was, and this next generation holds promise.
phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect OP
2,013 posts
 
To be perfectly honest...I have never been thrilled about analog or current redbood playback ...they both have drawbacks...not surprisingly...the majority of the analog community has dismissed SACD as another "smoke and mirrors" digital marketing campaign...and surprisingly....resistance to SACD has come from the elite digital hi-end that has invested a tidy sum in DACs,transports,and software...and scorns any kind of universal hi-rez machine...they have called SACD a "marginal" improvement at best...but aren't all upgrades,to a cetain extent, marginal? an improvement is an improvement in my book...the difference between a $500 intergrated vs. a $1500 unit is marginal...audible but marginal...the difference between a $500 Cd player and a $1500 rig is marginal...again...audible...but marginal...
the law of diminishing returns is very prevelent in audio gear...regardless of the format outcome...I will add a decent TT to my system...and hopefully...an expanded SACD collection...
kana813
956 posts
 
Jade6- I'm looking at HP's New Super CD List on page 117 of issue 138(139 hasn't reached HI, if 139 says otherwise, I stand corrected) and there's no SACDs.

Four DADs are are listed under "Special Merit."

There's a difference between TAS & HP's recommendations.

I'm not crying "the sky is falling." I pointed out the Chesky sale, because you can buy a number of their titles in all three formats and compare.

I own equipment and music in all formats. I listen with an open mind, not my wallet.

SACD is different not better. The market place will determine if it's progress.

You've got a great system, suggest you try a DVD-A player/DAC of equal value/quality to your Sony and let us know how they compare.

Aloha.
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